“The value of one’s existence isn’t determined by successes and failures. What truly matters is having the courage to keep moving forward.”
-Mecha Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog
I never thought I would be taking life lessons from a comic my son is reading but here we are.
Who doesn’t enjoy the tales of great leaders or innovators who failed over and over before finally becoming successful? The Abraham Lincolns or Steve Jobs of the world, who overcame the odds to accomplish inspiring feats.
We applaud their grit and determination to continue even in the face of adversity and setbacks.
Yet, when it comes to our own lives we are the opposite. We don’t have the same grace for ourselves.
I am not as a bad as I used to be but I would berate myself if I wasn’t perfect at something. Honestly, if I wasn’t perfect at everything I considered myself a failure.
Yeah, don’t judge me.
It has take some extremely humiliating failures to get me to change my perspective.
A counselor of mind worked with me to quit saying failure and instead call it a “learning opportunity.” I learned to step back and assess the situation to see what I needed to improve or discontinue so I could begin to move forward.
Don’t let your story be defined by a failure rather let it be defined by your determination to see setbacks as learning experiences and keep moving forward.